


Teenagehood.

by emmathehoe



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Also some eventual character death, But I really like the plot, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, I initially wrote this when I was like 14 oh my god, It's called "Camp Camp GC Fic" and I update it like once a year now but I cringe, M/M, Nerris is a nerd, Rewrite from my wattpad 2018, So I'm rewriting it but here and good, That was my old tumblr user or something like it, dadvid, gay neil, magic?, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-23 12:40:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30055602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emmathehoe/pseuds/emmathehoe
Summary: https://www.wattpad.com/story/133888786-camp-camp-gc-fic-not-a-gc-fic-anymoreA preface:I wrote this initially when I was 14 (I think!) People still read it and that makes me want to cry because it is just... so bad... and so cringe. And the first 10 chapters of it I wrote while in a straight girl/Emma Chamberlain/2018 type beat phase, so you can imagine how awful this is. I really like the plots in it but like, I did NOT handle some of these situations very well at all. And some of the jokes just are SO CRINGE GUYS. Also, the timeline didn't make sense and wasn't consistent.But anyway, some setup: The kids are 15/16 now! After camp, Nikki and her mum moved in with Neil and his dad (I started this fanfiction BEFORE that was shut down in the show and don't want to change it because it's sorta a big part of the plot) but her mum divorced his dad very, very quickly and took lots of his money. But not quick enough for Nikki and Neil to not develop a sibling-like relationship. Max ran away in the middle of the night after being beat by his father and took the train into the city and found Gwen's apartment (which she shared with David). They adopted him... yadayadayada. Let's get to it.
Relationships: David/Gwen (Camp Camp), Harrison/Nerris (Camp Camp), Max/Nikki (Camp Camp)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 6





	1. September 2018: Group Chats, Therapy, and New Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> Let's say that the original story takes place in 2013 for the sake of timelines.

**Monday, September 3rd, 2018**

**7:04 a.m**

**David: Have a great first day of school, Max!**

**Max: thanks david**

**Max: where r u and mom**

**David: At the office. Had some work to do.**

Max groaned and opened the fridge. He stared down a carton of eggs. In no way was he a competent chef. But he was going to need to eat, if he wanted to be taller than his girlfriend, anyway. He was still a growing teenage boy of 5'7, and his girlfriend still had one inch on him. There was no way she would humiliate him any further. His diet was strict, and consisted of lots of dairy, lots of chicken, and absolutely no caffeine. Well, he tried to do that, but some days, when he was feeling especially shitty and had the urge to punch the first person in sight, he just needed a cup. 

Like on the day he got added to the "2019 Camp Counselors Group Chat." Literally the day they got home from camp, David created the new group chat with him, Gwen, Neil (who had been a counselor that year), and Nikki, who hadn't signed up to be a counselor yet. That was a day where he really needed coffee, but not before leaving the group chat. He was already in a very annoying group chat, also created by David in the year 2015. It was still active, somehow.

Originally, it included David, Gwen, Max, Neil, Nikki, Preston, Nerris, Harrison, Dolph, Ered, and Space Kid.

Now, it was just Max, Neil, Nikki, Preston, Nerris, and Harrison. And Max found it annoying. Memes and spamming all. Day. Long. He much preferred his group chat with just Nikki and Neil entitled "The Gang" (ironically, obviously.) Their texts in that group chat consisted of only a few brief phrases: 

"want to hang at mine"

"where r u"

"r we walking to school"

"can u bring me chipotle"

Perfection in one group chat. Granted, there was rarely a moment in the day when the three of them weren't hanging out, so there was no need for a group chat.

Max _had_ social media accounts. He just didn't use them. No profile picture, no bio. Simple and anonymous, just the way he liked it. 

Max used two of those phrases that morning, just as he finished eating his slightly burnt scrambled eggs.

**The Gang**

**7:11 a.m**

**Max: r we walking to school**

**Max: where r u guys**

**Neil: Almost there.**

**Nikki: outside !!!!! come out !!!!**

Max stood up and put on his jacket and backpack, pocketing his phone afterwards. He left the apartment quickly and locked the door. Soon enough, he was out the lobby door and in his girlfriend's warm embrace. She punched his arm playfully after pulling out of the hug and grabbed his hand. Summer, although in its tail end, was still raving on. Nikki wore biker shorts and her volleyball shirt (Max later learned that she started practice that day, and _oh my god, she had totally told and he just forgot_ but he swore he didn't remember her telling him that).

"Did you get your schedule fixed?" Nikki asked.

"Yep, all I had to do was switch out Art History with Ceramics, which is actually gonna be pretty fucking lit," he pulled her closer to the wall because the pedestrian traffic was picking up significantly. He then, saw a curly head of brown hair poking out of the crowd. "Ope, there's Neil. Neil!"

Neil's head turned and he smiled. He slid his way through the crowd and dapped up both Nikki and Max. 

"Hello, Mister Upperclassman," Nikki teased, linking arms with her friend as they started walking.

"Shut up," Neil said with a groan. "I can't even think about it."

"Welp, get used to it. In a year and a half, you'll be graduated and dead to us. Good riddance. Adios!"

"Shut up Max," Nikki said. "We'll miss you."

Neil let out a half laugh. "Hopefully I won't be far."

"You better not be!" Nikki exclaimed.

-

**Friday, September 7th, 2018**

The first week of school came and went. Max was taking a fair mix of classes, unlike Nikki, who was taking all easy classes, and Neil, whose schedule was stock full of APs. Max dragged himself into the apartment and threw himself onto the couch and violently groaned. He already had so much homework to do and Nikki was at her dad's house which was in fucking Clifton, New Jersey. Since he had moved back to the East Coast, she started going to his house one weekend a month. Max hated it. Yeah, he had Neil, but he wanted his girlfriend! And plus, on the weekends Neil was always working on some extracurricular for college applications, or just fucking around with science crap. Neil just needed to relax, and get some pussy or something. _Nearly seventeen years old and doesn't have a girlfriend, fuckin' weirdo,_ Max thought. Maybe he could tag along in one of Nerris and Harrison's D&D campaigns. Nikki had played one at the beginning of the year and really enjoyed it, so maybe he would too. No, he wasn't _that_ bored. Preston was performing in MacBeth that weekend (he wouldn't shut the fuck up about it in the group chat) and Max liked the murder scenes in that, maybe he could see that. No, then Preston might make him come to an afterparty or something.

He didn't have to do anything over the weekend. He could just get some weed from his plug and smoke all weekend long. He was pretty stealthy about it around his parents, so they probably wouldn't suspect anything if he stayed in his room all weekend.

Speaking of parents.

"Oh, hey Max, how was school?" Gwen appeared from her bedroom.

"Fine. Whatever," Max shrugged. 

"Where's Nikki?" Gwen asked.

"Her dad's."

"Sucks."

"Yeah," Max said.

Gwen sucked in a breath and sat down on the couch. "You have an appointment on Monday."

Max lifted his head. "What is it?"

"Therapy," Gwen said quickly. 

"I don't need therapy," Max said firmly. "And whoever thinks I do can you fuck themself."

Gwen rolled her eyes involuntarily. She rolled her shoulders back, mentally preparing for a stab from Max. "Max. I know that you don't want to talk about it. But I would like it if you tried."

"You've asked me a thousand times and I've always said no. What makes you think I'd say yes this time?" He snapped malevolently.

"Because you're fifteen years old," Gwen said with an eyebrow raised. "Please, dude. I don't want to fight. If you hate it, you won't ever have to go again."

Max stared at the floor, fuming. He didn't look up at her. "Fine. I'm gonna go play Minecraft."

He got up and left, leaving Gwen alone in the living room. She reached into her hoodie pocket for her phone.

**David**

**3:35 p.m**

**Gwen: well. he agreed to go, i guess.**

**David: Oh, good.**

**David: I'll be home at 5. Might have to drive up to camp this weekend.**

**Gwen: why**

**Gwen: will i need to come**

**David: No, Rachel said that they're having an issue with the plumbing in the new cabins? And a school is going up there next week.**

**Gwen: oh ok.**

**David: With your condition you shouldn't be going anywhere.**

**Gwen: shut up david**

**David: Just kidding! You are a strong and capable woman.**

**Gwen: sometimes you make me cringe very hard**

**Gwen: love u. ordering pizza tonight.**

**David: Yum!**

**-**

**Discord**

**3:40 p.m**

**Max: can any1 play bedwars rn**

His phone dung. He looked at it.

**Nikki: just saw ur discord message but mobile sucks lol , but im still on the train im sorry :((((**

"Fuck!" Max said and threw his phone onto the bed angrily. He threw his head into his hands and pulled at his hair. 

Something so little could set him off so bad. Something so little killed him on the inside and angered him for days and days. He didn't scream anymore; that was an act of the past. He stomped silently around his room now, tearing at his hair and forcing himself away from the bathroom drawer and a wall to punch. The last time he had punched a wall... well, he was sure was why Gwen and David wanted him in therapy. 

But he missed Nikki, and after a long week of stupid fucking AP classes and idiot math teachers, he just wanted his girlfriend, okay?! 

He crawled into his bed and stayed for the rest of the weekend. He even denied pizza that night.

-

**Monday, September 10th, 2018**

At 3:30, Max met Gwen outside of his school, and together, they walked six blocks to his new therapist's building. He was dreading the forty-five minutes to come. But he kept telling himself that it was only forty-five minutes, and he didn't even have to talk. He could just sit in silence if he wanted to.

Max trailed close behind Gwen all the way into the office. He blocked out the conversation Gwen had with his new therapist and only grunted when she tried to introduce herself to him.

And then, Gwen left, and he was left sitting on a shrink's couch like a mentally troubled person.

"So," the doctor said, "How are you today, Max?"

Max shrugged.

"Your mom told me you didn't get out of bed all weekend," she said, factually.

He shrugged again. "Only cuz she was forcing me to come here."

She nodded, almost thoughtfully. Max hated that. "So, you're adopted? What's that like?"

"Huh?" 

"Do you like living with your adoptive parents?" 

He shrugged and muttered, "They're just my parents. And camp counselors. Whatever."

"Would you mind telling me a bit about your biological parents? Your mother told me the basics, but I'd like to hear it from-"

"No."

The doctor tilted her head. "No?"

"No. I do mind. I don't want to tell you," Max said defiantly.

"Fair enough," she said, and scribbled something down on a pad of paper.

"What?" Max asked. He was completely expecting a reaction from her. Like he always got when he was being an asshole.

She crossed her legs and looked at Max dead in the eye. "You have very good reason to not want to discuss your biological parents. If you'd like to talk about something else today, I'm okay with that in all respects."

"Oh," Max said, taken aback. "Right. Okay. Well, um... I guess I was sad this weekend because my girlfriend was at her dad's house in Jersey."

"Oh? What's her name?"

"Nikki. Nik. She's fucking awesome. I don't know. I really needed her this weekend and she wasn't there. And yeah, it's not her fault or whatever, but I just needed her."

The doctor nodded and scribbled more things down. "How long have you been together?"

"Two years? Yeah," Max counted on his fingers quickly. "Two years, yeah."

"Wow, long time."

"Yeah," he smiled. "She's so cool. She plays volleyball and is really smart and outgoing and everyone loves her. She's like, the light of the friend group."

"Tell me about your friend group, then."

"Oh, okay," Max said, and began thinking. His friend group was her and Neil really. But there was also Harrison, Nerris, Preston, and his lab partner Charlie. He was pretty cool, but they didn't hang out much. He didn't really know what to tell. They were all sorta... weirdos, misfits, who met at a camp that was an overpriced landfill of poop. Weirdos with heavy, emotional baggage. "Well, um, there's Neil. He's older than me, a junior. He's a fucking nerd, dude. He's like... um... tall, gonna go into STEM, he's funny. My best friend, I guess. We met at camp. Like me and Nik."

"Your mom said something about a camp."

"Yeah, uh, Camp Camp, it's called. Our friends Harrison, Nerris and Preston also went to camp. They're also all nerds," Max said with a laugh, and his therapist politely chuckled along. "I mean, I love them all. You know, back in Lenox I didn't really have that many friends. I was just the kid who showed up to class with bruises."

Max laughed again, but the doctor did not laugh this time.

"Sorry. It's not funny."

"No, it's not," she said.

"Yeah, its just like, I don't know how to... um, approach it without..."

"Breaking down?" She prompted.

He nodded and tried to swallow the lump in his throat.

"It's okay to break down," she said slowly. "You've been through the wringer, Max. You are allowed to be sad, or angry."

"I know that," he said, starting to itch with annoyance. "I don't want sympathy."

She stared at him for a very long time. It felt like an hour had gone by by the time she broke the silence.

"You're out of there now," she said, decidedly approaching him a different way. "And it sucks that it happened. Your parents left you with a lot of things to unpack and deal with."

"Yeah, they did," Max muttered bitterly.

"So you should do that, so you can move on."

"Yeah."

"Good."

They sat in silence for the rest of the session. It was unbearable, but Max didn't know what else to say. He didn't want to do all that _today,_ it scared the balls out of him! Preferably, he wouldn't do it ever, but what the therapist said _did_ sound appealing... finally being able to move on... no. It was unbearable. Being in the stupid sterile white room was god-awful, there was no way he was going back. He didn't know how he was supposed to say it all out loud. He couldn't even do it that first summer. He tried to tell them what was actually going on. He tried, but he was too weak. He cursed himself for that.

"How'd it go?" Gwen asked as they walked home.

"I did it. I'm not going back," Max said.

Gwen was silent for a moment. Then spoke. "Okay, Max."

-

**Sunday, September 16th, 2018**

"Happy birthday David!" Gwen and Max said in unison, Max's tone far more monotone than Gwen's.

"Aw, thanks, guys!" David exclaimed. He rubbed his eyes, yawned, and sat down at the kitchen island. "What time is it?"

"10:45ish," Gwen said. "Max and I made you special birthday pancakes!"

"Hey, don't bring me into this!" Max blushed and crossed his arms. He sat down. "I only helped because you told me I couldn't have pancakes if I didn't."

Gwen winked and pushed plates in front of both of them. "True."

"Still very sweet of you Max!" David said and cut up his pancakes.

Max huffed. "I'm only giving you a pass on that because it's your birthday."

"Watchu wanna do today?" Gwen asked, now cutting up her own pancakes.

David shrugged and grinned. "I've got all I need right here."

"Ew, David! Gross, man," Gwen and Max said.

-

**Tuesday, September 25th, 2018**

**Camp Camp**

**7:30 p.m**

**Max: fuck**

**Max: guess who's gonna be a big brother**

**Nikki: omfg what**

**Nerris: WAIT**

**Nerris: GWEN?!?!?!?!?!?!?**

**Max: yep**

**Nikki: OH MY GOD**

**Harrison: Congrats Max!**

**Max: why r u congratulating me lol**

**Max: wont be my kid**

**Max: wont even be biologically related to me**

**Harrison: Still your sibling**

**Harrison: And having siblings is really fun man**

**Max: we'll see abt that lol**

**Preston: WHEN IS THE BABY DUE OMG IM FREAKING OUT  
**

**Preston: I CANT WAIT TO MEET IT**

**Max: april i guess**

**Max: they've known for like a month and just didn't tell me**

**Nikki: worm**

**Nikki: well thats soooo awesome for gwen n david , im so excited for them**

**Max: yep**

Nikki furrowed her brow and called Max. Something was wrong. 

"Yeah?"

"What's up dude?"

"What?"

"You're upset."

"No. I'm not."

"Yeah. You are."

"No. I'm not, I'm just not stoked to have a stupid baby running around the house."

"Fair."

"Stop worrying about me. I'm fine."

"Okay, Max."

"Can you come over? I'm home alone."

Nikki checked the time and shrugged. "Yeah."

**7:49 p.m**

**Nikki: congrats gwen !!!!!! max just told us !!!!!!**

**Gwen: aw thanks nikki :) love you!**

**Nikki: love you too !!!!**


	2. October 2018: Nerds, Weed, and Halloween

**Monday, October 1rd, 2018**

**2 nerds and 1 Preston**

**1:25 p.m**

**Nerris: guess who tested positive for da flu :p**

**Preston: U?**

**Nerris: you got it**

**Harrison: Damn**

**Preston: That all ur gonna say harrison?**

**Harrison: No but I am texting underneath my desk in math atm**

**Harrison: I am sorry Nerris that sounds like ass**

**Nerris: yeah. it is.**

**Preston: I'll bring you soup after school ;)**

**Nerris: aw thanks**

**Nerris: harrison has stupid work today**

**Harrison: Not my fault I'm poor**

**Harrison: But I do get free ice cream**

**Harrison: When the machine isnt broken**

**Preston: HA**

**Nerris: no fair i want free ice cream**

**Harrison: Then get a job**

**Nerris: nah im too busy**

**Preston: with what? nerd shit?**

**Nerris: preston sweetheart you can't speak on this issue when all you do is watch musical bootlegs on youtube and make les miserables references during french class**

**Preston: Touche**

**Nerris: why are you texting arent u in class**

**Harrison: Yes please shut the fuck up**

**-**

As October rolled around, Max settled in and got ready to enjoy his favorite season. It was cool enough for him to not get weird looks for wearing a hoodie, but also wasn't snowing. But the city didn't get much snow anyway.

The chilly autumn breeze hitting his face in the mornings gave him a perfect idea: warm up with a joint. He kept a lighter in his pocket at all times just in case he got the opportunity to smoke a bowl, which, surprisingly, happened more often than one would think. He usually smoked with Neil or Harrison. It was really the only thing he and Harrison did together. Neil got all paranoid and idiotic- granted, that wasn't out of character for sober Neil, but still. And Harrison was just chill and down for anything. They'd once took the F to Central Park and snuck into the zoo and hung out with the monkeys. It was fun. They saw a magician in the park and Harrison told Max how the guy was doing his tricks. If Max was sober, he would've told Harrison to shut his mouth, but on that day, Max couldn't have been any more interested.

Nikki didn't like to smoke. She liked to drink. Heavily. Once she'd gotten so smashed that she'd tried to fight a homeless guy in the street. They never left the house when they drank after that.

Max didn't really like drinking or being around drunk people. It sorta gave him the spooks because of... well, because of his childhood. Gwen had gone out with her friends one night when Max was almost 13 and came home very drunk. He would never forget it. The fear, the flashbacks. Of course, Gwen had done nothing wrong, and it was perfectly normal for adults to go out and get drunk with their friends every once in a while, but Max was still scared. Gwen obviously sensed this and the next day, sat him down and promised she would never do that again. 

But smoking... smoking was great. Max didn't have any negative memories attached to smoking, except for maybe the time he took thirty-seven rips off his pen and vomited all over the carpet in Neil's bathroom.

Yeah. He stayed away from carts after that.

Nikki loved October too. It was Volleyball season, full on! She got to play club and school, which left her with practically no free time, but she didn't care. She really liked playing, and she especially liked playing games against other schools. Nikki was competitive with a capital C. She painted her face, she wore her school t-shirts, and she trash talked the other girls like it was nobodies business. And the greatest thing of all was Max cheering her on in the stands at every game. She knew he wasn't a big fan of sports and never would be. But he knew what a point scored looked like and he knew how to scream and clap. He was really supportive of her. He'd even trained with her over the summer during their free time at camp.

He was surprisingly sweet when he wanted to be.

And Nikki... was a handful, and she knew it. She was loud, and not very popular at school. Which was fine, obviously. She didn't care about that kind of stuff. She was just really offbeat. She could literally communicate with animals. Nerris' dog loved her.

Nikki went out for a jog that Saturday. She usually took the J down to The Battery, but that day she was feeling exceedingly energetic and decided to walk there. The pedestrian traffic excited her in an odd sort of way. Having grown up in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, she wasn't really used to the crowded streets and loud noises (except for on the board walk, and after the show came out) so it was still, even after four years living in Manhattan, an adventure to her. Tourists fascinated her, always had. It was like she was observing a foreign species of alien, they were just so wacky. She always wondered why each person was in the city. The first time she had ever come into the city was during her parents divorce when she was four. She could only remember jumping on the bed in the hotel room, falling, and hitting her head. In hindsight, she probably should've gone to the emergency room but her mom was probably drunk. There were a lot of times in her childhood when she probably should've gone to the emergency room.

She walked past the Brooklyn Bridge, slowing down her steps, because it was her favorite place in the whole city. She liked all the bridges, really, but the Brooklyn Bridge was the most accessible to her, and she really liked the stone on it. And it always looked pretty at nighttime. Unfortunately that day it was eleven in the morning, nonetheless still beautiful.

Then she walked through Seaport, which was surprisingly under-crowded for a Saturday morning. The boats were cool in Seaport. That was it. Once Max had taken her on a date at a restaurant in Seaport. It wasn't very nice, Max was being an asshole the entire day. Nikki snorted at the memory. She couldn't even count the amount of times Max had just been a sheer douchebag to her.

And she knew why. She understood what happened. And she loved him a lot. But sometimes he was just a dick for no fucking reason, and it made her want to cry or punch something.

She usually took a jog, actually. Well, she sprinted when she was upset.

And that day she was not upset at all! Just a little bored and invigorated. She arrived in The Battery. She really liked this park. Way more than Central, but not more than Bryant. It was her little bit of nature that she got to have in the big city. Her little piece of camp. 

-

**Wednesday, October 10th, 2018**

**Camp Camp**

**12:47 pm**

**Nerris: friends**

**Nerris: hoppner has approved my dnd club**

**Nerris: will u all join pls i need members**

**Max: whoa**

**Max: dnd club?!**

**Max: you really are a nerd**

**Nerris: shut it >:(**

**Nikki: ooh i like that emoticon**

**Nikki: >:(**

**Nikki: >:(**

**Nikki: >:(**

**Nikki: hehe**

**Max: please stop nik**

**Max: btw do you want burger king me and neil are here**

**Nikki: yes !!! please i want a cheeseburger !!!!!!**

**Nerris: borger**

**Nerris: ok but are u gonna join my club**

**Nikki: oh yeah sorry ! what day is it ? is it at lunch ?**

**Nerris: mondays at lunch :)**

**Nikki: aw darn >:( i have stupid yearbook on mondays**

**Nerris: oh no! thats ok tho**

**Nikki: >:( sorry**

**Max: please stop using that**

**Nikki: >:( no**

**Harrison: Im joining for sure!**

**Max: hey harrison**

**Harrison: Yeah?**

**Max: do you fancy sharing a joint with me and neil outside the gym during sixth period**

**Harrison: I do.**

**Max: fuck yeah harrison do you want burger king too**

**Harrison: No. Im okay.**

**Max: cool cool im ditching chem for this joint neil just secured**

**Max: i love this crazy motherfucker**

"Ready?" Neil asked, pocketing his wallet. Max's head snapped from his phone and he nodded and put his phone in his pocket.

"Let's go," Max said. "Thanks for the... drugs..."

Neil shrugged. "Craigslist does wonders for people."

-

**Tuesday, October 16th, 2018**

**The Gang**

**9:50 p.m**

**Nikki: guys >:(**

**Max: please stop with that emoticon i wasn't fucking kidding**

**Nikki: fuck you >:( **

**Nikki: anyway**

**Nikki: halloween is exactly two weeks from tomorrow**

**Nikki: and we have yet to decide what our costumes will be**

**Max: i told u im being pinhead**

**Nikki: but :(**

**Nikki: who am i gonna be :(**

**Max: idk**

**Max: the girl from wreck it ralph?**

**Neil: Nikki, I will go as Fix it Felix if you go as Vanellope.**

**Nikki: but then who is max gonna be**

**Max: pinhead???**

**Nikki: who will be ralph ?!?!**

**Max: you dont need a ralph**

**Nikki: yes we do !**

**Neil: Yeah, we kinda do Max.**

**Max: oh**

**Max: oh no**

**Max: i am NOT being fucking WRECK IT RALPH for halloween**

**Neil: Why not? It'd be kind of... ironic.**

**Max: what, cause im short?**

**Neil: Yeah, exactly.**

**Max: fuck you neil.**

**Max: im being pinhead**

**Nikki: pleaaaaaaaaseeeee**

**Nikki: maxxxxxx**

**Nikki: for me ????? please ??????**

**Max: no.**

**Neil: Come on, Max. Your girlfriend asks you for something so simple and you refuse? What an awful man you are.**

**Nikki: yeah !!!**

**Max: you guys suck**

**Max: i'll do it i guess**

**Nikki: fuck yeah !!!! <:)**

**Neil: It looks like he's wearing a party hat lol**

**-**

**Thursday, October 25th, 2018**

Gwen felt awful. Terrible. Nasty. God fucking awful. Not only physically, but mentally too. She assumed her physical condition wasn't helping her mental state.

 _Ha!_ She thought, _My psych degree did help for something!_

All she could look forward to since she got pregnant was it being over, and her having her baby in her arms. Every day was hell. Walking, standing, peeing, showering, it all hurt. At least David tried to work from home as much as possible and he could help her. And when he couldn't, he'd say, "Just have Max help! He'll be very willing." And of course Max wasn't. Max was not thrilled to have a sibling, and even if he hadn't said it to her face, Gwen knew it was true.

Max.

The little shit. He had showed up at home after school every day that week stoned out of his goddamn mind, and he definitely thought Gwen couldn't tell. But she could. She was a veteran stoner, how could she not?

Max.

Gwen wanted a girl. Really, really bad. She loved Max and all, and boys were lovely, and she did not in any way want to create some sort of gender bias in her household, but Max was just so... 

She just wanted a girl. And a drink or a cigarette, which she knew sounded really bad.

Which was why Thursday the 25th was so exciting. She entered her eighteenth week of pregnancy and she and David were heading to the doctor for an ultrasound.

He was bouncing with nervous energy the entire train ride and she wanted to slap him. Obviously she was nervous too, but David was being over the top. And embarrassing. She held his hand to try to soothe him, but it didn't really help. He was helpless and incapable of sitting still for more than thirty seconds. Thirty. This man was thirty. Gwen was rendered speechless a lot with David.

She loved the bastard, no matter what she said.

When they got off at their stop and Gwen stood up, she immediately began complaining about her hips and lower back like the drama queen she was. David was a man of chivalry and graciousness, thankfully. He helped her off carefully by supporting her back and letting her be held up by his own body weight. It was sweet, honestly. David was sweet.

Gwen used to wonder why such a nice guy like him was with such a trash bag South Chicago native. She still didn't really know the answer to that question.

They finally got into the doctor's office and the nurse set her up on the ultrasound table. They waited patiently and silently for the doctor.

-

"You're going to have a sister!"

"Great," Max said uncaringly over the phone. "I'm about to have class. I'll see you at home Dad."

-

**Wednesday, October 31st, 2018**

Almost every kid at their high school dressed up for Halloween during the school day. There was always a costume contest and free candy in the office for those who wore costumes, so it was pretty cool. Nerris went as an elf (for the seventh year in a row, perhaps a record?), Harrison went as fucking Pickle Rick, which was ironic, he insisted, and Preston went as... nothing. He didn't wear a costume. He usually did, everyone found it odd that he didn't. He also said that he was going to drop acid with his new boyfriend, which was also very odd. Nikki insisted on group photos in the costumes for her instagram, and of course Preston was invited as well. He joked that he was dressed up as a fairy. Preston spent a good amount of time laughing at Max's costume. Yes, it was from Party City. Yes, Preston made a drag race reference that Max did not understand.

It was cold on Halloween day. Not colder than expected mid-Autumn, but still cold. The leaves were almost completely gone from all the trees and had begun turning brown on the grown. No snow yet, thank god. Everyone in the friend group could agree that the longer they went without snow, the better. Fuck snow, especially in New York City.

Plans for Halloween night were simple. Go to CVS and buy a shit ton of candy, go to Neil's place, change into normal clothes, put on a movie, and take twenty-five grams of an edible each.

Neil's dad was out with a new woman. No details from Neil on that, all that Max and Nikki got about it was that his father apparently was having very loud sex with this woman while Neil was home, and she was under the age of thirty at most. Not uncommon for Neil's dad.

"She's like, twenty-four or twenty-five? At max twenty-seven. Fuck, it's just disgusting, my dad is so old and she's like, ten years older than me," Neil had said.

"Yeah and we thought my mom was young for him and she was like thirty-four when they went out!" Nikki had replied.

And Max, who was already having a bad day, commented, "Okay, we get it, you're still with your biological families. Don't have to rub it in."

And that caused a lot of silence for a long time.

They watched IT (2017) which was Neil's favorite horror movie. Max thought that was pathetic. It was more of a comedy than horror. It was a little scary sometimes, but it was mostly just jokes and kids cussing. He much preferred The Shining, The Exorcist, Halloween... things like that. 

And Nikki hated all things horror, so she closed her eyes until they turned on Nightmare Before Christmas.

It was a really good Halloween.


	3. November 2018: Neil's Birthday, The Subway, and Thanksgiving

**Friday, November 2nd, 2018**

"Go Nikki!" Max yelled and whooped inside their school gymnasium; it was Nikki's final varsity volleyball game of the year. She was setting that game because their normal setter was out with a broken wrist. Nikki was very, very nervous before the game. She hadn't set in over a year and usually played outside hitter, which was a pretty different position (as explained to Max by her, although she was talking very fast and kind of didn't understand.) Everyone reassured her before the game, and she was doing great. There was no indication on her face that she was nervous. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail messily and sweat was dripping down her face even though it was freezing cold in the gym. Max thought she looked beautiful. She always did, but when she was so determined of something, she was just _hot_. He couldn't wait to get alone with her and...

_Ugh. Not here Max,_ he thought. 

She was going out to a diner with her teammates and coach after the game anyway. Well, if they won. But they were at fourteen points and there was no way in hell the other team was going to get four points before Nikki's team scored just one. Max had plans with Neil, too. They were going to pick up McDonald’s and then pig out in Max's living room while watching stupid action movies until they fell asleep. 

"Yeah!" Max exclaimed and propelled to his feet after Nikki scored the epic final point and the game was called. Nikki dropped to her knees and yelled in happiness. Max watched as her entire team surrounded her. One girl with a long blonde braid on the top of her head picked Nikki up to her feet and hugged her. The team began chanting and jumping up and down. Max couldn't help but smile at how ecstatic his girlfriend was, and how so very proud of her he was. She played in a position she wasn't comfortable in, and she still earned loads of points for the team. If she didn't win MVP, he was going to throw hands.

He made his way down the bleacher steps and walked over towards Nikki and once she spotted him, she ran to him and threw her sweaty arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. Max could hear her heart pounding and could practically feel the adrenaline rushing through her veins. The gym was loud, the teams were talking to each other, and Max hadn't seen Nikki so emboldened in a very long time. Her pride was bursting and her smile looked painfully big. Max leaned in and kissed her, grabbing the back of her head in the process. 

-

"Oh, Neil," Max said, surprised. "You're here already."

Max had just entered the apartment, and he was throwing his keys and backpack on the kitchen island.

"David let me in, he and Gwen just left," Neil replied. He was on the couch watching Real Housewives of Atlanta, for some reason. Gwen had probably left it on.

"Cool, cool," Max said and kicked off his shoes. He made his way to the sofa. "Nik's team won."

"Oh!" Neil put down his phone and looked up at Max. "Wow, it was against that all-girls school up by Central Park, right?"

Max furrowed his brow. "Think so."

"Those bitches are so entitled. Remember the Holocaust museum in ninth grade?"

"I was still in junior high."

"Oh yeah." Neil paused and picked up his phone again. "What are we watching?"

"Deadpool? John Wick?" Max suggested lazily.

"Sure," Neil said and picked up the remote. "Order pizza."

Max nodded quickly and picked up his own phone.

Some nights their friendship was like this. Brief conversations, just wanting to hang out and be in each other's presence. Other times it was high energy, snappy conversations, giving each other shit. But that night, there was probably something going on with Neil so both of their energies were off. And that was okay. That was just their friendship. They were brotherly, and usually it was enough to just be near each other.

-

**Thursday, November 8th, 2018**

**Camp Camp**

**3:34 a.m**

**Neil: Please help Nikki showed me a vine compilation at like 10:30 because I'd never seen one before and I've gone down a rabbit hole and cannot stop**

**Max: it is a fucking school night please go to bed**

**Nikki: then why are YOU up**

**Max: ... because of you idiot**

**Neil: What the fuck is up kyle**

**Harrison: Hate you all**

**Nerris: step the fuck up kyle**

**Harrison: My phone just went off four times and Now I am awake**

**Nerris: how have u never seen a vine u are gonna be seventeen in like a week**

**Neil: I don't know**

**Neil: Less than a week, actually**

**Nikki: he was too busy doing nerd shit in a nerd room**

**Neil: ... A lab?**

**Nikki: yeah that**

**Neil: Nikki you are taking chemistry this year.**

**Nikki: yes i am :)**

**Max: i will be ditching my first period tomorrow**

**Max: because nik has kept me up all fucking night**

**Nikki: we were playing skywars !! D:**

**Max: yes and i have an 8 am tomorrow**

**Nikki: at least bring me a coffee when you show up to english**

**Nerris: me too**

**Max: u guys suck**

**-**

**Sunday, November 11th, 2018**

Neil's birthday was the thirteenth of November, so on the eleventh, Max and Nikki went up to the H&M up in Soho so they could buy him a turtleneck (from Max) and patterned socks (from Nikki.) The sky was almost as grey as the night sky on a cloudy night, and the gloomy did not sit with Max very well. He also hated shopping, but at least he wasn't shopping for himself.

When he was being fostered by Gwen and David, he threw a fit when they tried to take him shopping. The advancements of online shopping really benefited him because he did not have to take off his clothes to shop.

Max had checked the weather that morning and it was supposed to rain starting at one. And it did.

Hard. It was pouring as the couple scrambled out of the H&M and ran three minutes to the station. Max took off his jacket and held it above his head and called Nikki to get under it, whose hair was already soaking. She was laughing loudly, because of course she was. She snorted when she laughed that hard. And when she was cold, which she obviously was because she was shivering noticeably. Max snatched her shopping bag from her because she was letting it get wet in the rain. She giggled and said,

"Oh yeah..."

Max held both of their bags until they got on the train. They walked down the stairs into the station and Max put his jacket around his waist once they were in the covered area of the station. They swiped their cards; Nikki was still trembling so Max had to help her swipe her card. The station was almost empty and their train was even emptier. It was just them and three guys. Nikki leaned her head on Max's shoulder and the train started with a shake. 

"Aye you, girl!" One of the men shouted. 

Nikki's head snapped up, then away. She didn't respond.

"I was talkin' to you, gimme a smile," he said, beginning to approach. The other men began sniggering behind their newspapers.

"Leave her alone," Max said, forthcoming. He straightened his back and Nikki tightened her grip on his hand.

The guy smirked and knelt in front of Nikki. "Whatdya say, sweetie? Skip to my apartment, I'll buy ya lunch."

"She obviously isn't interested, so fuck off," Max asserted boldly.

"She didn't say anything," he said, making eye contact with Max, some sort of smart-ass look on his face.

"Look, I'll call the cops man, just fucking leave her alone."

"Stop, Max, it's okay," Nikki whispered.

Unexpectedly, the guy reached out and began moving his hands up her legs. "What was that, sweetheart?"

Nikki uncomfortably shifted away and Max was kicked the guy in the face.

"Get the fuck off her!" Max shouted, just as the train screeched to a halt. The doors opened and Max grabbed Nikki by the hand and pulled her out of the train.

Thankfully the guy didn't follow. 

Two blocks later and they were back at the apartment. The rain was still pounding down hard on the streets, and Nikki had not said a word.

"Are you okay?" Max finally asked, when they arrived inside his apartment.

Nikki tore her hand from his. "You shouldn't have done that. You assaulted that guy."

"Only cause he assaulted you!" Max commanded, like she was an idiot.

"Still, I can defend myself," Nikki said, her face flushing.

Max scoffed and crossed his arms. "Well, you weren't. So what was I supposed to do? Just sit there and let that guy touch you like that?!"

"No, I just," Nikki paused, stumped. Tears formed in her eyes. "Just, I can defend myself, okay? You shouldn't have fucking kicked that guy in the face."

"Tell me what I was supposed to do instead," Max said.

Nikki stared at him, spots of anger flashing on her face. She sighed, exasperated and frustrated. "Fuck you!"

Max took a step back. "What?"

"Fuck you, Max! You treat me like I'm a meek little woman and can't stand up for myself! So, fuck you!" She yelled.

"Fuck off, then," Max spat, his voice still not raised, but he was visibly incandescent.

"Fine!" She yelled, and opened the front door violently, making it go flying. She ran out of the apartment without closing the door.

Max grumbled and kicked the door back closed. He rubbed his eyes and shook out his hands. 

_Well, that just happened,_ he thought.

He poured himself a glass of water and downed it all in one gulp, before deciding he wanted to have a shower.

-

**7:28 p.m**

**Incoming call: Gwen**

"Hello?"

"Hi Nikki, it's Gwen."

"Hi Gwen, what's up?"

"Oh... you know. Just pregnant."

"Yeah, sure."

"Hey- just wanted to check if you were okay? Max said what happened on the subway."

She groaned softly, but Gwen still heard "I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Max is just- Max is over exaggerating. Stuff like that happens all the time."

Gwen was silent for a moment. "Nikki, I'm here for you, okay? I grew up in Chicago, I know what it's like."

"Okay, Gwen. Thank you."

"Anytime, Nikki."

-

**Tuesday, November 13th, 2018**

Neil's seventeenth birthday was pretty swell. Well, except for the fact that Nikki was completely ignoring Max, no matter how many times he tried to apologize to her. It annoyed Neil a lot, actually. But he'd never say it. Max told him what happened, and he understood why Nikki was acting like that. He was taking AP Psychology. Max said he wanted Nikki to apologize to him, but Neil told him not to expect that. In his opinion, neither of them had done anything wrong. Nikki had froze, lashed out at Max because she was in shock. And Max had just wanted to protect her, which was a great instinct to have. At least he did something. Neil told him that he probably would've frozen up and done nothing. The only actually shit thing about his birthday was the family dinner he was bound to attend.

It was his mom's family that year, which fairly, was much better than his dad's, but still. His grandmother pestered him about a girlfriend, his grandfather pestered him about getting into an Ivy League and making his family proud, his aunts also pestered him about getting a girlfriend. So, that was that. 

"Give your grandmother a kiss, she flew all the way from Seattle to see you on your birthday," his mother said.

Sometimes he hated his mom. 

After the family dinner, he went to his bedroom and read his AP Physics textbook. For fun. What a nerd he was. 

_A nerd who is gonna make a lot of money in the future! Take that,_ he thought with a grin.

Then, his phone rang.

It was Nikki. He frowned and stared at the picture of her flossing for a second before answering the call.

"Hi NIkki."

"Neil." She was sobbing. Neil could hear it. His stomach dropped.

"Oh my god, Nikki?!"

"I-just- f-feel so aw-awful," she hiccuped through the sentence. "I-couldn't-d-do-anything! I froze-up!"

"Nikki breathe," he said calmly. "It's okay that you froze. It's not your fault."

"B-but it is! I couldn't protect myself," she took a few breaths and let out a sob, "I'm so weak."

"Nikki! You're not weak! You're the strongest person I know!"

"No, I'm not," she murmured.

Neil sighed and set down his phone. He put it on speaker phone. "It's not your fault, Nikki."

"I'm so scared."

"I'm sorry."

"What if Max hadn't been there?! I could be dead!"

"But Max was there, and you don't ever have to take the subway alone if you don't want to," Neil reassured. 

"But what if I have to?!"

Neil moaned and pinched his temple, a slight headache forming. "You won't, Nik. Promise. Better not to overthink, then?"

The other line went dead for a moment.

"Nikki?"

"Yeah. You're right."

"I'm so sorry that happened, Nikki."

"It's okay, Neil."

"Anytime. Hey- will you talk to Max? He thinks you're mad at him."

"I just... need a minute. I don't want to talk about it anymore, okay?"

"Okay, Nikki."

"Happy birthday."

-

**Friday, November 16th, 2018**

Friday nights were boring without Nikki. And Neil told him she had talked to him about it, and said she just needed a few days. Which Max couldn't deny he was mad about, but he was glad she was even talking about it. It was 9:30 when David came out into the living room and asked Max if he could move to his bedroom, because Gwen wasn't feeling well and the noise wasn't settling well. Max agreed, and just as he was turning off the TV, somebody knocked on the door. Max checked the time, and wondered who the hell would be at his home at 9:30. He reluctantly walked over to the door. He unlocked it slowly and opened it just a crack.

"Nik?" He said, surprised.

"Hi."

He opened the door fully. "Hi. Everything okay?"

She shook her head and stepped inside. He closed the door and she reached out and clung to him, for a very long time.

-

**Thursday, November 22nd, 2018**

**Camp Camp**

**1:20 p.m**

**Nerris: happy thanksgiving**

**Nerris: thankful for yall**

**Nikki: love you nerris <3**

**Nikki: thankful for yall too**

**Nikki: someone take me away from my moms family**

**Max: wish i could come to the rescue, but my fucking aunt danielle is here so im kinda fucked**

**Neil: Oh THAT bitch is awful**

**Neil: Good luck, comrade.**

**Max: thanks neil. ill need it**

**Preston: Its like he's being sent off to war lol**

**Max: practically am**

**Neil: You've obviously never met Danielle.**

**Nikki: wait ive never met danielle**

**Max: oh ya u were in miami with your mom when she was here last i think**

**Max: she is just. awful**

**Nikki: and she's david's sister ?!?!**

**Neil: I know, Nikki. It's confusing.**

**Max: she hates me**

**Max: and gwen**

**Nerris: maybe shes racist**

**Max: ha probably**

**Preston: I am in Trump town pls save me**

**Neil: Where are you**

**Preston: Wyoming County.**

**Neil: Oh... oh god**

**Neil: That is very upstate**

**Preston: Yes it is**

**Max: OOF**

**Max: thats the type of place id be called a slur in**

**Preston: I have been called a fag four times here so far**

**Preston: Two of those times were by family members**

**Max: bruh what**

**Preston: :) Im thriving**

**Harrison: We can see that**

**Nerris: stay strong bro u got this**

**Preston: Yeah I do and we're leaving tonight**

**Nerris: and then ur sleeping over?  
**

**Preston: Yeah!**

**Preston: Dinner time**

**Nerris: harrison how is milwaukee treating you?**

**Harrison: Fine. It's Wisconsin.**

**Max: fuck wisconsin**

**Nikki: have u ever even been there**

**Max: no**

**Harrison: Yeah but fuck Wisconsin.**

**Neil: Get on craigslist and find some drugs that'll liven it up**

**Neil: Im in Meadville and thats what I did**

**Harrison: Not a bad idea.**

**Max: oh i am high as fuck and gwen and david are clueless**

-

"Max is high," David whispered to Gwen.

"Oh, definitely," Gwen murmured back. "Max, eat your turkey."

"Huh?"


End file.
